Apple

iPhone

iPad

iOS

Jailbreak

Cydia

Today, Parallels has announced its newest version, Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac, that lets users run Windows, Linux and other operating systems side-by-side with Mac OS X. This version of the virtualization software is more feature rich and promises a 50% boost in speed.

Just some of the core advances made available in this version 4.0 are; DirectX 9, DirectX Pixel Shader 2.0 and OpenGL 2.0 support, which makes video performance faster, and Adaptive Hypervisor, which allows users to allocate resources to a specific operating system dynamically and with only a momentís notice. These new features work together to optimize the software so it not only sees the speed increase but also consumes 15-30% less resources than earlier versions.

Mac users are expected in particular to benefit from the new version as another new feature called Parallels PowerSaver, will show a 20% improvement in a Macís battery life. Also, FastLane Architecture streamlines a Macís speed and performance by fully integrating the latest Mac hardware, making the most of the up to 8-way true multi-core CPUs and 8 GB RAM.

Michael Rose, Industry Analyst at the research firm, IDC comments:

ďThe growth, in both performance and ease of use, of desktop virtualization software is making it easier for Windows users to adopt Macintosh computers. The availability of this technology is one of many factors driving growth in the adoption of Mac desktops and notebooks, for which shipments have grown 46.6% between the first half of 2007 and the first half of 2008, according to our data."

Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac is available for immediate download for $79.99 from Parallels' website. Current Parallels owners can upgrade for only $39.99 Ė a 50% off promotional price available until November 30, 2008, and users that purchased version 3.0 on or after September 1, 2008, are qualified for a free upgrade to version 4.0. New users can try out a free, fully-functional copy for 15 days.